Celebrating Scotland’s pioneering women journalists on International Women’s Day
Scotland has a long and proud tradition of journalism - but like in so many other areas of life, the role and achievements of women have often gone unrecognised.
To mark International Women’s Day, Women in Journalism Scotland has put together a snapshot ‘Hall of Fame’ of some of the pioneering women of the industry.
Of course, there’s many more who deserve a place and we would love to hear ideas for additions - follow us on Twitter @WIJScotland or on Facebook - Women in Journalism Scotland.
Jessie M King, born Bankfoot, Perthshire, 1862
Jessie was Dundee’s first female professional journalist, who wrote under the pen name of Marguerite and achieved wide recognition in the late 19th century. The publishers John Leng & Co Ltd claimed the honour of having produced the first woman journalist in Scotland, and described her as “a brilliant descriptive writer, an authority on household matters, and a poetess.“
As part of Dundee Women’s Festival, Angela Gilchrist, editor of the People’s Friend, and Charlotte Lauder are hosting a free talk today at 3pm on the story of Jessie.
Bessie Maxwell, born Dundee 1871, and Isabella Imandt, born Dundee 1860
The careers of Bessie Maxwell and Isabella Imandt provoke serious journalism envy - they were sent off to visit 10 countries over nine months, covering everything from religion and industry to a visit to an Asian opium den and a dinner party in Tokyo. The women were both journalists with DC Thomson and their globetrotting trip took place in 1894. They take their place in history both as among the first female journalists and foreign correspondents.
Ethel MacDonald, born Belshill, Lanarkshire 1909
At the age of 27, Glasgow-based anarchist and activist Ethel went to help fight General Franco's Fascist rebellion in 1936. She became a correspondent writing and producing broadcasts for the CNT Radio station of Barcelona, which was run by the National Confederation of Labour and she was heard across Europe and America. She filed some of the first reports of the 1937 May riots, when 400 people were killed in street fighting in Barcelona and was captured and imprisoned by communist rivals.
She was eventually deported to France and returned to Glasgow, where she continued to work in politics and be a feminist campaigner until she died of multiple sclerosis in 1960.
Molly Kelly, born Glasgow, 1926
One of the star journalists of the Scottish Daily Express, Molly King was known for her ability to cover everything from interviewing the famous to doorstepping difficult and tragic stories. She joined the Herald in the mid-1970s, at a time when women’s journalism was beginning tackle previously taboo subjects such as sex discrimination and domestic violence. She won a national award for consumer journalism in 1978 and one of her most popular contributions was The Herald’s Great Afternoon Teas guide, but she also continued to land exclusives ahead of her rivals, such as a much-sought after interview with Perry Como in London - after telling him she had “come all the way from Glasgow”.
Ethel Simpson, born Banff, 1926
It’s difficult to imagine now, but a news editor’s horror at a young female reporter turning up for a shift in a newspaper wearing a trouser suit resulted in her being ordered to go home and change into a skirt. That’s when suitably outraged Ethel Simpson, chief reporter of the Press and Journal in Aberdeen, stepped in to complain to management and make sure it never happened again.
She was known for fighting for equal rights for women employed on the newspaper in a career spanning more than 40 years, which started at the age of 17. Together with Pearl Murray, the P&J’s feature editor, she was a pioneer of women in the media in Scotland. One tale goes that when they were drinking in the pub which was the main haunt of Aberdeen journalists, they had to use the only lavatory, which had a Men Only sign on the door. When someone dared to point this out the proprietor retorted: "Ethel and Pearl don't count as women - they are reporters!"
Nicola Barry, born Edinburgh, 1950
No roll of honour would be complete without Nicola Barry, who is remembered with an annual prize given in her name at the Scottish Press Awards, supported by WIJ Scotland. Her memorable writing spanned almost all of Scotland’s main publications including the Edinburgh Evening News, Daily Express, the Daily Record, Press and Journal and The Big Issue and she won an incredible 27 press awards, including Columnist of the Year three years in a row at the Scottish and UK press awards.
She was driven by a passion to help the underdog and to give a voice to those who had none, but her career also included gems such as interviewing comedienne Joan Rivers in the latter's bathroom in her New York apartment - with the pair reported to have got on like a house on fire. In 2007 she moved into new territory when she published Mother's Ruin, a devastating account of a childhood lost to her mother's drinking. Nicola died in 2017 at the age of 66.
More reading/sources:
Dundee’s Two Intrepid Ladies: A Tour Round the World by D. C. Thomson’s Female Journalists in 1894 by Susan Keracher
An Anarchist’s Story: The Life of Ethel MacDonald by Chris Dolan
Ethel: the Scottish voice of Spain’s struggle - Activist’s story to be retold: The Herald 20 January 2007
Molly Kelly; Writer who was ‘in with the stars’ in the glory days of journalism: The Herald 6 February 2004
Ethel Simpson: Pioneering Scottish female reporter who inspired generations of journalists: The Scotsman 19 Dec 2017
Nicola Barry: No-nonsense journalist, author and social commentator who combined fearlessness with an earthly sense of humour: The Times 23 January 2017
Nicola Barry obituary: The Herald 25 Jan 2017